


It's Just Asgard

by AMidnightDreary



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Courting Rituals, Dancing, Established Relationship, Homophobia, Insecure Loki (Marvel), Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Minor Jane Foster/Thor, Sort of? - Freeform, Timeline What Timeline, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark is a good boyfriend, Tony wears Loki's colors at least, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, and a bit of smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-10-19 00:24:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17591258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AMidnightDreary/pseuds/AMidnightDreary
Summary: They are on Asgard, and Tony knows that Loki hates every second of it. So Tony, being the good boyfriend that he is, finds a way to cheer his lover up. (With a little bit of help from Frigga.)





	It's Just Asgard

There are tons of clothes in the closet, and Tony doesn't know what any of them are.

Sure, he recognizes the style – Loki's, Thor's. Asgard's. All leather and other materials different from anything Tony knows from Earth. There are a lot of probably-leather pants, which are what he's most familiar and comfortable with, even though the last time he's worn similar ones was years ago. They also look like he'll have to be powdered into them or something. That might be worth it, though, because he suspects they'll make his ass look spectacular. They all look more or less the same, so he's already chosen one and put it on his (their) bed. But then there are the tops – tunics and jackets and cloaks and even that sort of casual armor Loki wears sometimes, and Tony has no idea what's appropriate for today's events.

Tony's always been good with fashion, and usually he would just choose one of his nicest suits and know that'd be enough to turn some heads. But this is Asgard, and the last thing Loki needs is his earthly companion slash friend slash boyfriend to embarrass him in front of The Asgardian Assholes.

Tony frowns as he rifles through the clothes, trying to remember what Thor wore on his trips to Asgard – to that Thorra-blot thing last winter, maybe, that should be comparable, right? Today isn't yet the wedding, only the welcome party, so he doesn't have to go all formal, does he? But what _is_ formal with these clothes?

“Loki?”, he calls, and the splashing of water in the bathroom stops.

“Yes?”

“The closet confuses me.”

Tony's sure he can hear Loki chuckle. “I'll be with you in a minute”, his lover says, and yup, there's definitely amusement in his voice.

When Loki emerges from the bathroom not much later, he's wearing one of his usual black pants and a forest green tunic. His hair is still wet, his feet bare, and somehow he still manages to look gorgeous. Flawless bastard. His smile is a little bit too tight, though, and Tony remembers that he isn't the only one who doesn't really enjoy being here.

Hell, compared to Loki, Tony's probably having the fun of his life.

“I would suggest one of the simpler jackets”, Loki says, joining Tony in front of the closet.

“Simpler. Yeah, sure. Thought that, too.”

The mage smirks at him. “So?”

“Loki”, Tony says, gesturing at the clothes, “I've no idea what _simple_ means by Aesir standards. Like, you could tell me your goat helmet is _simple_ and I'd say, sure is.”

“It's not a _goat helmet_.”

“Sure is. What about one of the tunics? Those look simple to me.”

“It would be quite a scandal if you attended the feast wearing only one of these.”

“See? And we don't want scandals today, right? We're scandalous enough by ourselves.”

Loki nods, not quite meeting Tony's eye. He takes a step forward and browses through the clothes himself, discarding a coat and a few other jackets before he pulls one out of the closet.

“Here”, he says, giving it to Tony, who squirms a little but lets it happen. “This one. And – this, underneath. The pants on the bed are fine. Where are your boots?”

Tony points at where they sit in front of the bed, and with a flick of Loki's hand, he's dressed. He looks down at himself and moves a little, testing how the unfamiliar clothes feet on his body. The leather of the jacket is dark grey, lined with blue fabric and streaks of silver. Not exactly the color scheme Tony would have chosen, but well. It still looks nice. The jacket isn't as as long as Loki's usually are and fits him like a second skin, just like the matching vest he's wearing underneath. It's surprisingly easy to move in the clothes – he always thought they must be hella uncomfortable, but apparently he was wrong –, and the pants do make his ass look great.

“This is better than expected”, he says, grinning at Loki.

Loki hums and reaches down to tug the jacket into place, fiddling around with the leather until he's content. Then he smiles, eyes glinting. “You do look quite good.”

“I look amazing, and you know it”, Tony replies, making Loki's smile widen. “Thanks.”

Loki doesn't stop smiling as he runs a hand through his damp hair, drying it in a matter of seconds. Another flick of his wrist, and then he's dressed, too. Green and gold and black, as usual. “We are a little late. Shall we go?”

Other people wouldn't notice it, probably, but Tony can see that Loki is nervous. He can tell by the way he moves, still graceful as ever but somewhat jittery, and by the way he smiles. The green eyes all but skitter around, as if he's already looking out for possible observers. Loki doesn't like being watched, least of all by people who are going to judge him.

“Hey”, Tony says, still grinning when his lover's eyes focus on him again, “what do you think of going to Malibu for a while? When we're back?”

Loki arches a brow. “Malibu?”

“Yeah. We can lock the whole house down, and no one will bother us. No SHIELD, no Thor, no damned Odin, just...”

“Us?”, Loki finishes when Tony trails off, and his tight smile changes into something much more sincere and better.

“Yup.” Tony lets his hands wander up the god's chest and eventually grasps his collar to pull him down to him. “Just us. And maybe the delivery man; we can order food from that place you like. Sounds good?”

“Perfect”, Loki says and pulls the human close, chin coming to rest on Tony's head. Tony kind of expected a kiss, but he can go just as well with this. Loki sighs quietly as Tony returns the embrace. “I wish we wouldn't have to make it through this whole ordeal first.”

He sounds frustrated, and Tony pulls away a little to look at him again. “Four days”, he says, and nudges Loki's chest. “Four days to show them that we don't give a fuck. We'll eat and drink and prank Odin or something, and you can show me all your favorite places whenever we're through with the official stuff. It's going to be four fucking good days, and then we head off to Malibu and spend a whole week in bed.”

Loki nods and touches his forehead to Tony's, closing his eyes. “I am glad you are here with me”, he tells Tony quietly.

“This isn't the end of all things, Frodo. This is just Asgard.”

Loki laughs, and Tony kisses him, just to reward him for getting the reference.

 

People look at them. Of course they do; they look awesome.

Well, fine, that's not the reason they're looking at them. Not the only one, anyway. But they do look awesome, Loki in green and black as always and Tony in brown leather and honey colored fabric, which is what Loki chose for him this morning. It's the second day of the celebration, but the first of the actual wedding. The ceremony will take place tomorrow, so this seems more like some kind of pregaming to Tony. Thor and Jane sit at the middle of the royal table; Frigga next to her soon to be daughter in law and Odin next to his oldest son. Loki sits on Odin's other side, which is a punishment in itself; Tony can tell by the way Loki sits and talks and smiles that he hates every second of it. Again, no one else notices, probably.

Tony's doing his best to distract his lover, but he can only do so much.

Loki is doing this for Thor. His brother asked him to come, to be the Asgardian equivalent of a best man on his wedding day, and Loki, after some prodding from Thor, agreed. And now they're here, stuck at this annoying party on this annoying planet, even though Loki can't stand it. And Tony hates seeing him like this, hates it so much.

Loki is behaving. He isn't snarling at anyone or making snarky remarks, he's actually really polite. Something else he's doing for Thor and no one else, doubtlessly. (Loki can say what he wants; he loves his brother.) Loki still acts cool and aloof around the other Aesir, especially around Odin. His smiles are reserved for exactly four people – Tony, who doubtlessly gets the most of them, Frigga, sometimes Thor and, surprisingly, Jane. With that, Tony isn't quite sure if that's just something Loki does for Thor, too. Probably not, though; Tony thinks Loki actually likes her.

“Hey”, Tony says, nudging Loki with his elbow. His lover looks at him immediately, and Tony pokes the strange thing on his plate with his fork. “How do I eat this?”

Loki smiles at him. “You have to crack the shell.”

“Duh. How do I do that?”

Loki reaches out with his own fork and applies the slightest bit of pressure at the mussel-like thing. The shell cracks immediately. “It might be a little bit too hard for a human”, Loki says.

“Did you just call me weak?”

“Yes.” Loki smiles – one of those real and lovely ones – and leans in to kiss Tony's temple, just briefly.

It's enough to make the conversation of the Aesir closest to them stop. Tony has forgotten their names, but they must be some relatives of the royal family, otherwise they wouldn't be allowed to sit with them. Loki doesn't like them, and now that they are staring at them as if they are eating human entails instead of mussel-like whatevers, Tony thinks he doesn't like them, either.

He smiles at them politely, then moves even closer to Loki and stretches to press his lips to his lover's cheek. He lets it last a good few seconds, knowing it'll piss them off.

“We should not do that”, is what Loki says when Tony has pulled away again, his voice so quiet that only Tony can hear.

Tony has no intention to be quiet.

“Why not? I would've kissed you on the mouth if you hadn't been chewing. And anyway, you started it.”

Loki rolls his eyes, but he's still smiling. (Also blushing, not that anyone would survive calling him out on that.) He then proceeds to eat and chew, probably to stop Tony from actually kissing him on the mouth. Tony lets him get away with that, but only because he knows that people staring at them because of _this_ makes Loki uncomfortable.

It's horrible to watch, really. Tony hates it. Everywhere else, Loki is - well, he's a diva, he takes no shit from anyone, he does whatever the fuck he wants. But Asgard? Asgard makes him uncertain. It's not that he's desperate to please the people that were _his_ people, once. No, he already knows that he can't please them, and he's sick of acting like he's one of them again. Because he isn't and will never be, doesn't even _want_ to be a part of this. And maybe he really doesn't give a fuck what they all think, like he tried to convince Tony a few times. But still, there are so many eyes looking at him with suspicion, fear, repulsion, and, yes - Loki is uncertain.

Tony knows all this. Not because Loki told him, but because he also knows _Loki_ , inside out.

He smiles at those Aesir again, thinking of hundreds of ways to show them that Loki is so much better than any of them could ever even dream to be.

 

“I want to dance”, Tony says later that night, and Loki looks at him like he's lost his mind.

“I was forced to dance already once this evening”, he says flatly, “and I will not dance again.”

“I don't mean this sort of dancing.” Tony gestures at the people in the middle of the hall, who are dancing in a way that looks like a mixture of some weird European folk dance and something that remembers Tony of things he's seen in romanticised movies about the middle age. And yes, Loki and Tony were forced to participate in that earlier, and just like Loki Tony has no intention to repeat the experience.

“And what kind of dancing do you have in mind instead?”, Loki asks, his tone teasing. He takes a sip of his mead and smirks at Tony over the edge of his mug.

(Loki has drunk quite a bit already, but apart from a faint blush on his cheeks there's no sign that the mead is affecting him in a way. Tony's head started swimming after just a few sips of that brew.)

“Dunno”, Tony says lightly. “A waltz?”

“A waltz”, Loki repeats. “This is none of your Midgardian galas, Anthony. This is Asgard.”

“Yeah, exactly. Someone should show them what real and good dancing looks like. Besides,” Tony leans in a little, grinning at his lover in a way he knows Loki usually can’t refuse, “I know you like waltzing. You're freaking good at it, too.”

“So?”

“What, so? I want to show you off, genius, and also we haven't danced in ages. I'll even let you lead.”

“You always let me lead”, Loki says almost absently, eyes skimming the crowd.

“Loki”, Tony whines in his best _pay attention to me_ voice, and Loki gives him his best _you drive me insane_ look in response.

“Anthony”, he says, and averts his eyes again.

Tony gets rid of the last few inches between them, his arm coming to rest on Loki’s shoulder as he leans against the god’s side. “Loki”, he says again, smiling brightly when Loki turns his head to look at him.

“You are a nuisance”, Loki tells him.

“You love me. Dance with me.”

“I thought you didn’t want to cause scandals.”

“Yeah, I changed my mind. Let’s cause as many scandals as possible. We’re gonna dance, and make out while we’re at it, and then we can sneak away and fuck in a -”

“Anthony”, Loki hisses, and the look he gives him now isn’t playful anymore.

Anthony raises his brows at him, unimpressed. He still backs away a bit, trying to give Loki a bit of space. He isn’t yet ready to give up, though. “Loki”, he says, “you’re being boring.”

Loki scowls at that. “I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. Boring.” Tony reaches out for one of the jugs with mead standing on the low table in front of the bench they’re sitting on, but Loki slaps his hand away.

“You shouldn’t drink any more of that.”

“Boring”, Tony says.

Loki huffs and looks away again, and Tony decides right there and now that he’s tired of this shit.

“Loki”, he says one last time. “I hate seeing you like this, do you know that? This isn’t like you. This is - this is just Asgard, okay? Who cares what they think of you? Of us?”

Loki smiles a bitter smile. “This is my brother’s wedding, Anthony. I can’t ruin it by -”

“By being happy? Yeah, I’m sure Thor will hate seeing that.”

“This isn’t about pleasing Thor.”

“No? Why’d you mention him, then?”

Loki glares at him, and Tony’s sure that his lover is about to get seriously angry.

“Look”, Tony says, “Thor doesn’t give a fuck about us being together. He specifically _invited_ me to come with you, actually. As your lover. He didn’t ask us to hide anything, and Frigga seemed _happy_ for you when she greeted us.”

Loki’s mouth twitches in frustration. “Odin is -”

“ _Odin_ is an old, cranky hypocrite who can shove his _traditional views_ up his ass. He isn’t king anymore, Thor is. Odin’s got nothing to say.”

“Almost everyone here would like to see me in a cell”, Loki says. The words are probably meant to sound sharp, but his hushed tone weakens the effect a bit. “Or better yet, dead. Tortured and then beheaded for what _we_ are doing. For many of them, this is - this is worse than scheming against Thor back then, worse than invading your planet, worse than _anything_ I have ever done.”

“So? Who cares?”, Tony shoots back, not bothered by the hard and angry look in his lover’s eyes. He’s seen that one often enough. “No one will throw you into a cell, and you won’t be tortured and beheaded, either. You can bet your pretty ass that Thor and I will _never_ let that happen.”

“And what about you?”, Loki asks. “The weakest Aesir could break your neck with two fingers. What if they try to -”

“Okay, I don’t know if you noticed, but I am _not_ defenseless”, Tony interrupts him with a glare of his own, tapping his fingers against his chest, where the nanobots are currently sleeping in their casing. “And you haven’t left my side a single time since we’re here. Nothing’s going to happen to me.”

“Still -”

“Nope. I don’t see a single reason why we should be careful, or behave any different than how we do when we’re at one of those _Midgardian galas._ ”

Loki looks at him for a moment, pressing his lips together, then looks away again. His eyes skitter over the dancing Aesir without really seeing them. His shoulders are tense. After a moment of strained silence, Tony sighs.

“I know that you hate the way they look at us”, he says, his tone softer now. He moves closer to Loki again and gently clasps his lover’s arm, trying to get him to meet his eyes again. “I know that this makes you feel vulnerable, because something you’ve been hiding your whole life isn’t a secret anymore, and yeah, their reactions suck. But I’m right here with you, I’m not going anywhere, and I want them to see that we don’t care, okay?” He takes Loki’s hand and squeezes, silently relieved when Loki squeezes back. “So let them look at us and wrinkle their noses all they want, alright? I want to dance with my boyfriend.”

“I hate that term”, Loki says, his tone resigned.

“Poor baby. Come on, now.”

Loki sighs, but he lets himself be pulled to his feet without any protest. Tony grins at him, then proceeds to drag Loki to the Asgardian equivalent of the dance floor. They’ve been sitting in one secluded corner of the big room, far enough away from the others to not be bothered by anyone. Thor pouted a little at them when they retreated, and now that they are coming back, he greets them with a bright grin from where he and Jane are standing and talking to some people.

“This music isn’t even fitting for a waltz”, Loki complains to Tony quietly, all the while darting cold glares at anyone giving them odd looks.

“Like I care”, Tony says, and two seconds later they are dancing.

The music is a bit too fast, the rhythm not quite right, but Loki adjusts to all of it with ease. He’s a good dancer, and while Tony’s not that bad himself, he gladly admits that usually it’s Loki who makes people look at them with something akin to awe every time they dance together. Now, people are looking at them too, of course, but there isn’t any awe in their eyes. Tony can hear a few gasps and some hushed whispers, and he can see that Loki’s hearing that,  too. The god isn’t looking at him, and since Tony kind of needs to be the center of Loki’s attention whenever they’re dancing (or doing anything, really), he swiftly moves his hand and tugs at Loki’s hair.

“The Loki I know would love this”, he says.

Loki arches a brow. “Would he now.”

“Yeah. Parading me around, showing everyone I’m his, that’s sort of his thing.”

“It isn’t when it could get you killed.”

Tony rolls his eyes and misses a step on purpose, causing Loki to send him a mild glare. The music changes, suddenly, and they both turn their heads toward the musicians, just in time to see Thor standing there and looking right back at them. He winks and gives them a thumbs up, and Tony grins at him.

Loki, however, gapes and makes them both stand still before looking back at Tony with a frown. “You arranged this with him.”

“Nope.”

“You -”

“Loki, your brother just served us with a slow and _wonderful_ song, so stop accusing me of things I didn’t do”, he pulls Loki close again, “and dance with me.”

Loki actually ducks his head a little, and Tony can’t help but laugh when they start dancing again, so close that their chests are almost pressed against each other. Loki leans down a bit, resting his cheek against Tony’s temple. He lets out a breath he’s apparently been holding, and Tony smiles when he feels the tension bleed out of his lover’s body.

“See?”, he says quietly. “This isn’t so bad.”

“No”, Loki agrees. “Not bad at all.”

For a while they just dance, and Tony can’t stop smiling. The music is nice and slow in a way that makes Tony want to record it, just so they can play it at Peter’s next prom dance. Loki’s breath is brushing his ear, his hand warm and firm on Tony’s back, keeping him as close as possible without making their dance look ridiculous. The song has already morphed into another when Loki sighs against Tony’s temple.

“They are all staring at us.”

“That’s because they’re jealous, babe.”

Loki snorts softly, then turns his head to kiss Tony’s cheek. “I’m sorry. I know I am being difficult.”

“You’re always difficult. It’s one of your best qualities.”

The split of a second later, Tony surprises himself and everyone else around them by yelping. Loki chuckles, and Tony pulls away a little to look at him, grinning widely. “My, Loki. Did you just pinch my ass?”

“Don’t mock me when I am apologizing”, Loki responds, then adds with a slowly forming grin, “and yes, I did.”

“Good”, Tony says. Loki’s hand starts to wander up his back again, but Tony reaches behind himself and keeps it exactly where it is. “No, keep it there.”

Loki obediently cups Tony’s butt cheek and presses another kiss to Tony’s temple. Tony can feel that he’s grinning, and thinks that Loki might be starting to enjoy this. Maybe making out right here and then fucking in a side corridor isn’t off the table yet.

 

Big surprise - they don’t make out on the dance floor. And sadly they don’t fuck in a side corridor, either. Not because Loki doesn’t want to; after a bit of dancing slowly and closely, both of their hands wandering to places they maybe shouldn’t wander to in public, Tony thinks he actually has Loki at the point where sneaking away to have a quickie might actually be a possibility. No, the reason they suddenly have to stop dancing and keep their hands to themselves doesn’t have anything to do with Loki’s uncharacteristic and Asgard-induced reluctance to show affection in public. Tony really can’t fault him for leaping away, this time; everyone would react like that to hearing their mother’s voice in a situation like this.

“It seems that you are enjoying yourselves”, Frigga says from behind Tony, her tone somewhere between dry and amused.

“Mother”, is what Loki says in response, after they hastily broke apart, and somehow he manages to sound _normal_ despite the blush creeping into his cheeks. “I’m sorry, we did not mean to -”

“Oh, you did mean to”, Frigga interrupts, her eyes warm even while she aims a slightly admonishing look at her adoptive son. “But still, there is no need to apologize. I am happy for you.”

Oh, would you look at that. Loki’s ducking his head again, _sheepish._ That’s the second time today, and Tony’s honestly stunned.

“Your dance was lovely”, Frigga tells them gently, looking at Tony as she adds, “Midgardian, I assume?”

“Uh, yeah”, Tony says, already grinning again. “A waltz. Was supposed to be one, anyway, we got a bit distracted in the end.”

“Yes, everyone could see that, I think.”

Tony and Loki exchange quick glances, and Tony can positively watch as the red spreads from Loki’s cheeks down to his throat. He thinks it’s goddamn adorable. He also kind of wants to follow that color with his tongue, but that’s probably not a thought he should have while his lover’s mother is present.

“Would you mind sharing a dance with me?”, Frigga asks, and Tony’s about to think he has to busy himself while Loki spends time with his mother, but then he realizes that the queen is looking at _him._

“Mother, please, you don’t -”

“I’d be honored, Your Majesty”, Tony simply speaks over Loki with one of his most charming smiles. “Do you know how to waltz?”

“No”, Frigga says, eyes sparkling with amusement, “but I would be happy to learn. Loki, why don’t you go and spend some time with dear Jane?”

Loki looks at them both for a moment, then he sighs and shakes his head. “Fine. He is awful at leading”, he tells his mother, walking up to her and leaning down to kiss her cheek. “So watch out for your feet.” He says something else in Asgardian, but Tony naturally can’t understand that.

“I’m not awful at leading”, he says, and Loki gives him a _look_ before he turns and goes away, probably to find Jane.

“He will keep an eye on us”, Frigga says quietly, looking at Tony with a smile.

Tony returns it. “We should better start dancing, then.”

And so it comes that Tony teaches the Queen of Space Vikings how to waltz. It's weird, but he's done weirder things. And Frigga seems to actually like him, which is good, because Tony knows her disapproving of their relationship would make Loki more than just a little upset.

After a while of proving that she's already better at waltzing than Tony will ever be, Frigga casually suggests sitting down somewhere they won't be disturbed. She obviously didn't ask Tony to dance with her just to dance with him, and he's pretty certain that she wants to talk about Loki. He isn't sure if that's a good idea, though; he knows Loki wouldn't like it. But Loki also wouldn't want him to be rude to his mother, probably, so he keeps smiling charmingly and follows Frigga to the side of the hall, where they sit down on one of those long benches that are more comfortable than they look. Frigga magically procures drinks for them; something she promises will have no effect whatsoever on Tony. It tastes better than the mead.

Sure enough, Frigga eventually says, “I am glad you came with him.” She’s still looking at Tony warmly, but somehow he still feels oddly uncertain.

“I wouldn't have let him come alone”, he replies carefully. “Though I feel like my presence doesn't exactly make things better.”

“It does, for him”, the queen objects. She looks to the side, and Tony follows her gaze to where Loki is talking to Jane and that blonde friend of Thor. “I believe he will not return to Asgard after this.”

“Yeah, well. The people here don't give him a lot of reasons to return.”

“No”, Frigga agrees, frowning in a wa that shows that she might be just as pissed as Tony is. The look fades quickly, though, and when she looks back at Tony she's smiling again. “I am relieved that he found a home on Midgard, and with you.”

“He's a part of the team”, Tony says, wanting her to realize that it's not just him wanting Loki to be there. Sure, the rest of the Avengers might still have some trust issues when it comes to Loki, but that doesn't mean they want him off the time. Nat and Bruce actually _like_ him, even.

Frigga accepts that with a nod, but adds, “He stays because of you. I hope you are aware of that.”

Nope, talking about _Loki's_ feelings with _Loki's_ mother is _not_ a good idea. It makes Tony feel uncomfortable, and he hates feeling comfortable. “Yes, I am”, he says firmly, hoping that he can put an end to this conversation as soon as possible. “And I want him to stay. More than anything.”

Frigga seems pleased. “You love him.”

Tony raises his brows in a _duh_ expression and sips his drink, and Frigga laughs a little.

“How old are you, Anthony Stark?”, she asks then.

“Uh”, Tony replies, unsure what his age has to do with anything. “Forty nine.”

“Ah.” Frigga's smile turns a bit sad, but her voice is still warm when she says, “You make a good pair. I wish you all the happiness the Nine Realms can offer.”

“Thanks”, Tony says, maybe a little bit too dryly, then smirks at her. “You're not hating him because he likes men, then?”

“There is nothing that could make me hate him. His choice of lovers has never bothered me.”

Tony blinks, surprised. “You knew?”

She quirks a brow in a manner that's very familiar. “I'm his mother. Of course I knew.”

“Right. I'm sure your talents as a, uhm, _seer_ don't have anything to do with it.”

Frigga chuckles, and doesn't deny anything. “He told you about me.” Tony just shrugs, and after a moment she looks back at Loki again, her smile turning even softer. “It is good to see him love again.”

Tony agrees with a nod. He can't and doesn't want to deny that Loki looks far better - happier - than he did when he was forced to join the Avengers years ago. Tony likes to think that he's one of, if not the reason Loki is happier, and even more he likes _knowing_ that that's true.

“There is one thing that makes me wonder, however.”

Tony looks back at Frigga, finding her eyes on him already. “Hm?”

“I do not mean to impose”, she says, watching him carefully, “but you do feel committed to him, do you not?”

“Uhm. Sure? Yeah, of course. I mean - we've only been together for a few years, though. That's basically the blink of an eye for him.”

“That is true”, Frigga says, nodding slowly. “But I am sure it doesn’t change the way he feels for you.”

“I, uh, I hope so”, Tony says. “I'm sorry, but I think - I think I don't really understand what you're getting at.”

She smiles in that lenient way of hers. “You have no reason to apologize, I know you aren't familiar with our customs.” She pauses, then eventually says, “I couldn’t help but notice that you are not wearing his colors.”

Tony stares at her blankly for a moment, starting to frown. “His… colors?”

“Yes.” Frigga inclines her head, seeming a bit confused. “It is common for royal consorts to wear the colors of their partner.”

“Oh”, Tony makes, still not sure if he understands.

“Take a look at Thor and Jane”, Frigga says patiently, “You will know what I mean.”

Tony does look at Thor and Jane, and at Loki right next to them. “They're both wearing red.”

“A certain shade of red”, Frigga nods, “yes. Red has been the color of the oldest child of the throne for millennia. Thor likes it better than gold, which is usually the color of the king.”

“Oh”, Tony says again, now because things are starting to make sense. “And Loki -”

Frigga hums. “Green, yes. The color of the second prince or princess. He likes to combine it with black and gold, as you might have noticed.”

“Yeah, it's hard not to”, Tony murmurs. “Uh. So - me not wearing green, that's -”

“It could be seen as a sign that you are… distancing yourself from him, one could say”, she explains carefully. “As I said, I don't wish to invade your or my son's privacy, nor is this meant to be a reproach. It is merely something I noticed.”

Tony nods absently, barely listening. He's busy thinking. He remembers Loki rifling to Tony's Asgardian clothes, making Tony wear colors like blue and brown and freaking _honey_ as if that doesn't mean anything.

“I didn't know”, Tony says after a moment. “I mean, nobody told me. And he - he chose these clothes for me, because I didn't know what to wear. He could have picked something green.”

“Ah. He doesn't want to pressure you, I imagine.”

No. No, Loki doesn't want to pressure him. And he's also afraid of _rejection_ , the idiot. (The thought that Loki might not _want_ him to wear green crosses his mind only briefly. It's ridiculous.)

“There aren't any green clothes in my closet, I think”, he says.

There is a long pause, then Frigga asks, “Would you like some to be there?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I would.”

Frigga smiles in a way that makes Tony think he's just found a partner in crime.

 

The next morning, Tony dresses in the clothes Loki chooses for him without protest. The ceremony is in the evening, and until then they have time for themselves. Loki wants to show him a few places - the library, his mother’s gardens, a few spots in the nature surrounding Asgard. They visit the market place, too, but only briefly; the judging looks by, well, everyone get annoying very quickly.

Loki gets _slightly_ suspicious when Tony suggests going back to the palace in the early afternoon, but Tony manages to persuade him. He’s sure that Loki knows that he is plotting something; Loki always knows when anyone is plotting something. He doesn’t do more than throw odd looks in Tony’s direction, though, and Tony just grins at him every time, determined to let his surprise remain a surprise. They still have a few hours left when they are finally back in Loki’s chambers, which is _perfect_. Tony wants to get dressed early.

“My feet are sore”, he whines as he lets himself fall onto their bed. Loki rolls his eyes, but he lies down on his side next to Tony and smirks down at him.

“So”, he says quietly, in that tone that never fails to make a shiver run down Tony’s spine. “Now that we are here early as you wanted, with hours left until we have to attend a very boring ceremony… what would you have us do?”

Tony chuckles and stretches, closing his eyes. “Take a bath? We’ve been running around for hours, we reek.”

“Ah”, Loki breathes. His hand starts to wander down Tony’s chest, the touch barely noticeable through the leather of his jacket. “Well, the bathtub _is_ big enough for two.”

“Mhh, I like the way you think.”

Loki gives a low, pleased hum in response, and then his mouth is on Tony’s and coaxes his lips open with a few teasing flicks of his tongue. He breaks away quickly again, though, and Tony opens his eyes to find Loki smiling down at him.

“I will run us a bath, then.”

“I’ll be there in a minute”, Tony promises, and Loki kisses him again, briefly.

“Don’t fall asleep”, he teases as he gets out of bed and heads to the bathroom, leaving the door ajar.

Tony, as far away from falling asleep as possible, raises his head and looks after Loki. He waits until he hears water running, then another two seconds until he’s sure that Loki won’t come back to the bedroom. Then, Tony quickly stands up and tiptoes to the closet. Frigga promised that the clothes would be brought here during their time away, and the queen kept true to her word. The green and black of the jacket and the coat stand out between all the other colors, and Tony hurries to get it and the matching tunic and pants out of the closet. He glances back at the bathroom door and hopes that Loki won’t come back as he tries to get out of his clothes as quickly as possible. He leaves them on the floor and then finds that getting first into those leather pants without the help of Loki’s magic is actually quite difficult. He manages, though, and a look into the mirror makes him grin. The green tunic is easy enough to take on, and the jacket doesn’t present him with any problems either, despite the lot of buckles and straps. He knows those from Loki’s clothes, after all, and God knows that Tony has had enough practice dealing with those. He’s more used to opening said buckles, of course, but closing them works just as well. These clothes are just as comfortable as everything he’s tried on so far, even though the jacket is cut slightly different. It’s a bit tighter, which serves Tony just right, and the coat that goes on top of it is sleeveless and longer than the clothes he’s worn before, its tail split at the sides and almost reaching down to his knees. Golden streaks are woven through the deep green fabric, matching the gold plates embedded in the front of the jacket and lining the lapel of the coat. It all looks like something Loki would wear, only a bit studier, more fitting for Tony’s shorter build. And those golden patterns woven into the fabric isn’t something he’s seen on Loki’s clothes, either, but it reminds Tony a little bit of the dresses he’s seen on Jane. A consort thing, probably. The thought makes him smile.

Tony gives himself an appreciative nod as he looks down at himself, making a mental note to thank Frigga again later. Another look into the mirror and he’s ready to -

Oh.

Loki is standing right there, in the open bathroom door, and stares at Tony with wide eyes. The laces of his tunic are already open, and Tony’s eyebrows shoot up when he notices that the tunic is, in fact, the only thing Loki is still wearing. He catches Loki’s eyes in the mirror, his lips stretching into a grin.

“Hey, Loki.”

Loki just gapes a moment longer, then blinks slowly a few times, eyes fixed on Tony’s body. He lifts his hand to weakly gesture over his shoulder. “I…”, he says, but trails off. After a brief moment he tries again, “the bath is…”

He doesn’t finish that sentence, either.

“Ready?”, Tony suggests helpfully.

Loki nods slowly, and Tony barely manages to keep from laughing. _God, I broke him._

“I’m not sure if I still feel like taking a bath”, he says, and watches as Loki yanks his eyes away from whatever part of Tony’s body he’s been ogling to meet Tony’s gaze.

“You”, he says. “These are… _my…_ ”

“Your colors, yeah”, Tony says casually. “Your mum told me what you _somehow_ failed to mention, and got me these clothes. I always thought green doesn’t really suit me, but I do look awesome in this, I think.”

Loki doesn’t say anything. He looks like his brain keeps sending him error messages, and that thought is what finally makes Tony laugh and take pity on his lover.

“You planning on coming over here anytime soon?”, he asks. “You’re allowed to look from up close, too, you know.”

He can see Loki swallow, and it takes another few seconds until he finally moves. He approaches Tony with slow steps and then steps right into Tony’s personal space, but doesn't touch him yet. Tony is surprised - he sort of imagined Loki would pounce on him as soon as he sees Tony in these clothes. But it seems that Loki is a _tiny_ bit overwhelmed, so Tony just lets him go as slow as he likes and doesn’t push him. He’s still fairly sure that the pouncing on him is going to happen in fifteen minutes or so.

But for now, touching the lapel of Tony’s new coat is apparently all Loki wants. He does it only hesitantly, his fingertips hovering in the air for a few seconds before he touches them to the leather. He follows the lines of golden filaments and green fabric, his touch careful, as if he’s afraid the clothes could vanish into thin air every passing second. And that’s probably it, Tony thinks as he studies his lover’s face and the, oh, the _watery eyes._ Shit, Tony really didn’t mean to make Loki _cry_ with this.

“Hey”, he says as softly as he can, “you okay? Loki?”

Loki nods immediately, the movement seeming only slightly absentminded. When he speaks, his voice is very quiet. “These are… These are _my_ runes.”

Tony blinks at him. “Your what?”

Loki’s mouth twitches into what might be the beginning of a smile. “Here”, he breathes, and Tony looks down to where Loki’s fingertips are still touching the golden patterns on Tony’s chest. “ _Mine._ The second prince’s, but also… I use them for… spells, and such.”

Incoherent Loki isn’t something that happens often, and Tony isn’t sure whether he should be amused or worried. Later, Loki will have to explain what “spells, and such” means in detail, but for now Tony lets it go. The gist of it is clear enough. Not just Loki’s colors, but also his _runes_ , making these clothes seem even more like a big “God of Mischief”-stamp that proclaims very loudly that Tony is _Loki’s._

“I didn’t realize”, Tony says, smiling. “But it’s nice. I like it.”

Loki’s tongue darts out to wets his lips and, yes, Tony really wants that pouncing on somebody part of this to happen, rather sooner than later. He squirms a little, but it doesn’t seem like Loki realizes what’s going on in his lover’s head. His hand is still on Tony’s chest, and the other one has found its way to his hips, fingertips dancing over the hem of the coat.

“Do you -”, Loki says, cuts himself off and begins again, “do you really… _mean_ this? Anthony?”

“Mean what, exactly?”

“You do not…” Loki swallows, his brows knitting together in a frown, and all of a sudden he takes both his hands away. “You do not have to wear these clothes”, he says, his voice firmer now. “I would never have asked that of you. I appreciate it, of course, but -”

“Hey, no, I - I _want_ this, Loki. Okay?” It doesn’t seem like it’s okay, judging by the way Loki looks at him, so Tony huffs a laugh and takes his lover’s hands, putting them back on his chest again. He keeps his own hands on top of them, squeezing slightly as he looks up at Loki with a smile. “I want this”, he repeats. “I would have dressed like this the whole time if I had known that it's supposed to be a thing.”

“Anthony”, Loki says, an urgent note sneaking into his tone. “If you wear this, everyone Asgard will know that - they will think that you are mine. Not just a… a fleeting romance, or a brief affair, but -”

“Is this a brief affair for you?”

Loki stares at him for a moment, then starts shaking his head. “ _No_ , Anthony, of course not - If I could, I would -”

“Then I don’t see where the problem is”, Tony speaks over him. “Let them think that I’m yours, because I _am._ I’m yours, and you’re mine. I want everyone to know that.”

Tony can’t quite suppress a small sound of surprise when Loki suddenly uses the grip on Tony’s jackets to pull him close. At the same time, he leans down and covers Tony’s mouth with his. There is a desperation in the kiss that Tony still knows from the beginning of their relationship, back when Loki still thought every kiss they shared might be the last - always afraid that Tony would suddenly decide he’s had enough of this, enough of Loki. By now, Tony’s fairly sure that that will never happens, and he does his best to show Loki that by kissing him back just as fiercely.

Loki’s hands have come up to cup Tony’s face, and Tony wraps his arms around him and pulls him even closer. He grasps Loki’s shirt, remembering that Loki _isn’t wearing anything else_ , which is - hell, yes, it’s very easy to let his hands wander lower until they reach Loki’s ass. Tony can’t stop himself from grinning when Loki moans in response to the touch, breaking the kiss for a brief moment.

“Anthony”, he murmurs, his breath hitching, and Tony hums and leans in to kiss him again.

It’s softer, this time, with them both more panting against and into each other’s mouth than really kissing. And again it’s Loki who stops it after a while, turning his face away. Tony just kisses the corner of his mouth instead, then his cheek, his jaw, the soft spot of skin right beneath Loki’s ear that Tony _knows_ is sensitive. Loki’s hands are on his shoulders by now, grasping the leather, and their touch becomes firmer with every second Tony spends mouthing at Loki’s skin.

“Anthony”, Loki says again, and Tony stops and pulls away a little, bringing just enough space between them to look at Loki.

“Yeah?”, he asks, a bit breathless himself.

Loki’s eyes are wide and dark, almost brimming over with emotion in a way that used to make Tony uncomfortable because he’s never been good with dealing with many feelings at once. Now it only makes him smile, and he stretches a little to bump his nose into Loki’s, grinning when it has the desired effect and makes Loki laugh.

“It’s alright”, Tony tells him. “I want this, and I’m happy if it makes you happy.”

“It does”, Loki says, kissing Tony again and murmuring his next words against his lips. “It _does._ I can’t put into words how much I…”

“No words needed.” Tony takes hold of his lover’s hips and pulls them flush against his own, grinning lewdly at the gasp Loki lets out in reaction. Loki returns his smile, eyes turning even darker when Tony suggests, “you could show me, though.”

The sound Loki makes can only be described as a purr. “With pleasure”, he whispers, and then they’re back at kissing, which is _good._

Tony has waited for this the whole goddamn day and he’s impatient, so it’s a relief when it seems that Loki doesn’t really intend to keep things slow. (Loki _likes_ doing things slow, usually, mostly because he likes to drive Tony insane. It’s his luck that Tony happens to appreciate that.)

Somehow, Loki manages to maneuver them into the direction of the bed, the touch of his hands on Tony’s sides and back urgent and maybe even bordering on ungentle, but it isn’t like Tony minds that. They fall down on the bed together, with Loki on top of him and their limbs already entangled. When Loki’s mouth wanders down to Tony’s throat, he begins thinking that the high collar of the jacket is annoying as hell, which leads him to a whole other thought.

“Loki”, he more or less gasps, tugging at Loki’s tunic to get his attention. “Hey, sweetheart, we have to -”

Loki’s face appears over him, and the sight of his flushed cheeks and red lips renders Tony incapable of speech for a second. Loki grins and leans down for a soft kiss. When they break apart after a moment, he asks, “yes?”

Tony smiles and reaches up to brush Loki’s hair out of his face. It’s already messy. “I’m sorry to break this through to you, but you have to undress me.”

Loki blinks, and for a moment Tony’s afraid his lover will take this as a rejection. (Loki’s good at taking things as rejections.) But then Loki looks at him with an expression that’s more similar to pouting than anything else, and Tony has to laugh.

“Why?”, Loki asks.

“Because”, Tony says, “these are the only green clothes I have right now, and I still have to attend a wedding in them. So we should get them off me, unless you want there to be, uh, evidence on them.” Loki’s lips immediately form a smirk, and the look makes Tony chuckle again. “I think we should introduce Asgard to one kink at a time, okay?”

Loki sighs. “I hate it when you act like the voice of reason. It doesn’t suit you.”

“Sorry, babe.”

Loki hums and kisses him again before he sits up on the bed. Tony props himself on his elbows, looking up at his lover with an arched brow. Loki reacts to his questioning look with a shrug and a frown. “I don’t want to undress you.”

Tony snorts. “Well, that presents us with a bit of a problem.” Loki gives him a _look_ , and Tony smiles. “Do it by magic, then. And when we’re done, you can dress me again.”

Loki’s face lights up again. “Oh. Yes. Very well.”

Tony laughs and then moves to the middle of the bed, stretching on the covers. Loki’s eyes follow his movements and wander over his body rather shamelessly, and there’s still a hint of stunned wonder in them. It takes only a grin and Tony’s hands reaching out for him to get Loki to move, and Tony feels arousal flood his veins when Loki pulls his shirt over his head and throws it aside. Loki’s cock is already hard and standing up against his stomach and, yes, Tony has to get out of this goddamn tight leather pants. _Now._ Loki smirks when he meets Tony’s gaze again, and he’s over him again in his instant, climbing up his body until they can kiss again. It’s slow and sweet, Loki’s tongue teasing Tony’s without any hurry, and it’s nice, but Tony still returns from that to impatient rather quickly. Loki is straddling his hips by now but doesn’t apply  any pressure yet, and while a part of Tony knows that Loki does that to avoid crashing Tony with his weight, it still drives him insane. His hips buck up all on their own, trying to grin and against Loki’s, and the mage pulls away and sits up when he notices it. His eyes crinkle as he smiles at the impatient sound Tony makes.

“Hush”, Loki tells him, and Tony lets his head fall back into the pillows with a sigh.

“Look, I’m the biggest fan of our games”, he says to the ceiling, “but if you’re planning to tease me right now, I think I might actually die.”

“And I think you might be a little dramatic”, Loki replies. Teasingly, of course.

Tony can feel Loki’s hands on his chest and looks up to find his lover’s eyes studying the clothes again. He’s trying to memorize the sight, without a doubt.

“Hey”, Tony says, and waits until Loki looks at him again. “You should get me more clothes like this. Something I can wear on Earth, too.”

Loki’s eyes go round and his hands still, making Tony’s smile widen. “Do you mean that?”, Loki asks.

“Yeah, sure. You can dress me in green and black anytime. Actually, you have my explicit permission to ask to me to wear this, alright? Whenever you want.”

A slow smile spreads out on Loki’s face, his eyes dropping down to Tony’s chest again. “You spoil me”, he says quietly, and then strokes over Tony’s lapel one last time before the clothes vanish into thin air. “They are back in the closet”, Loki informs him.

“Yeah, okay”, Tony says, not actually caring where the clothes are, and reaches up to grasp his lover’s shoulders. “Now come here.”

Loki chuckles but willingly leans down, meeting Tony in a kiss. This time he lets it happen when Tony arches up to grind against him, making them both moan. Their cocks rubbing against each other, Loki’s naked skin on his and his hands _everywhere_ , yes, that never fails to make Tony lose his mind. He spreads his legs so Loki can get between them and buries his hands in the god’s hair, keeping him from breaking the kiss. He can’t keep Loki when pulling away when he eventually tries, though, but Loki’s mouth and tongue and teeth on his throat is a rather good feeling, too. The sound of Loki’s voice reaches him only barely.

“Anthony, I want to - please, will you let me?”

Tony nods as soon as he hears the familiar words; Loki asks that pretty much every time. Tony’s given up telling him that he doesn’t _need_ to ask, but by now he believes Loki will never get Asgard’s shitty views out of his head. And so he just keeps nodding and gasps, “yes, sure, I want you to.”

And, like every time, Loki whispers a _thank you_ somewhere into Tony’s skin, and Tony smiles.

Loki comes to sit on his heels between Tony’s legs, then, hands stroking his thighs as he spreads them a bit wider. Tony closes his eyes when he feels a finger sink between his cheeks and probe at his entrance, and doesn’t even try to keep his moans or any other sound he makes inside as Loki fingers him open and gets him slick. His movements are a bit more hasty than usual, and soon enough Loki’s fingers are replaced by his cock, pressing inside carefully, but not exactly slowly. It seems like Loki really isn’t in the mood to go slow today; that is the last coherent thought that flashes through Tony’s head before Loki banishes everything else from his mind.

It’s not rough, the way Loki thrusts into him, but it’s _close_ , and Tony gasps and moans and probably claws Loki’s back as he tries to arch into him, to get him to move deeper and harder yet. In the end, he just wraps his legs around the god’s hips and lets him fuck him, while he pants against Loki’s mouth and chin and cheeks; kissing properly isn’t possible anymore. There are soft words and praises between Loki’s moans and low growls, and Tony doesn’t actually hear them but gets the message, anyway, and there are words tumbling from his own lips in response, at least until they reach a point where talking also isn’t an option anymore. Because somehow, Loki’s hand has found its way between their bodies and is now stroking Tony’s cock, and from there on it’s only a few seconds until Tony topples over the edge. Loki follows him only a moment later, groaning against Tony’s jaw.

A minute or two or ten later, the haze thins out a little, and Tony finds himself blinking at the ceiling. Loki’s still on top of him, still _in_ him, his face buried in the crook of Tony’s neck. Tony smiles down at him and runs his fingers through his hair, which is now messy _and_ sweaty.

“We should do this again”, Loki says, his voice muffled and quiet. “Sometime in the next five minutes.”

Tony snorts. “Make it thirty, and I’m game.”

Loki sighs and shifts, carefully pulling out of Tony before he rolls onto his side. He stretches airily, and Tony can’t help but smile when he spots the red streaks on Loki’s shoulders, left there by Tony’s nails. They’re already fading, but Tony still leans in to kiss them. Loki hums, pleased, and wraps his arms around Tony, pulling him against his chest. Tony can feel his lover’s lips on his forehead.

“I want to keep you”, Loki whispers.

Tony huddles closer against him. “I'm not going anywhere.”

“I want to keep you”, Loki says again firmer now.

“What do you mean?”

Tony can hear the smile in Loki's voice when he answers, “I wish to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Tony's brain stops working for a moment, and when it comes back online, he frowns and shifts so he can rest his chin on Loki's shoulder and look at him. “Loki?”

“Yes?”

“Are you asking me something?”

“Mhh”, Loki makes, still smiling. He cards his fingers through Tony's hair, which is probably just as messy and sweaty as Loki's. “Yes, I believe I am.”

Tony rolls onto his stomach and props himself on his elbows so he can stare at Loki properly. “Loki. I'm human.”

“Jane is human, too”, Loki reminds him, dismissing it with a half-shrug. “She will be granted an apple tonight.”

“An apple.”

“Yes.”

“An _eat me and live for five thousand years_ apple.”

“Yes.”

“And you’d like me to -”

“Yes.”

They stare at each other for a while, and Tony notices that amused and expectant, but also a bit worried look in Loki's eyes. _Afraid of rejection_ , he thinks, and then says, “okay.”

Surprise, that's the first emotion that scurries over Loki’s face, quickly followed by relief and that sort of joy that borders on giddiness, and then Loki's already kissing him. He's laughing into it and Tony chuckles in response, and when they break apart, Tony realizes that he's no real idea what's going, but that it can't be bad if it makes Loki look as happy as he does.

“Thor offered”, Loki tells him, beaming, and only continues speaking after planting another brief kiss on Tony's lips, “months ago, but I - I didn't know how to ask, and what you would say, so I…”

“Yes”, Tony says, mirroring Loki's bright smile, “I'm saying yes.”

And Loki promises him, “We will return home with one of Idunn's apples, then”, his eyes wide and happy and hopeful, and _yes_ , Tony thinks, _that sounds good._

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo, I thiught this was a good place to end this, but I have a few notes on what happens after this, so...
> 
> When they are done ~celebrating~ and already a bit late for Thor and Jane's wedding, Loki takes his time to dress Tony in his colors and enjoys the hell out of it. And Tony enjoys seeing Loki happy, but he's still a bit confused - so he asks if they really are engaged now, and Loki laughs and tells him yes, they are.
> 
> Frigga and Thor are more than happy and relieved when they see Tony wearing Loki's colors, and Loki decides right then and there that it he wants them all to know that he doesn't care what Asgard thinks of them. And with Tony telling and showing him that he has every right to have this and be happy, it's surprisingly easy to actually  
>  _be_ happy, too. So he helds his head high and takes care that everyone in Asgard sees Tony wearing his colors and his runes. 
> 
> They never return to Asgard after that, but both Thor and Frigga visit them on Earth now and then. And they marry and travel the realms together and have a Golden-Apple-Happy Ending. ♡
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this! Thank you for reading, and let me now what you think! ^.^


End file.
